From AOL:

Honda Accord Best in Rollover Tests

.c The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (Jan. 9) - The federal government on Tuesday issued its first ratings of passenger vehicles resistance to rollover crashes which kill more than 10000 people every year.

Only one vehicle among three dozen 2001 models tested the four-door Honda Accord received the top rating of five stars. The lowest rating of one star was given to two both sport utility vehicles. They were the Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Jimmy/Envoy four-door 4X4 models.

Several passenger cars two light trucks - the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra ExCab 4X4 models - and two vans - Honda Odyssey and Chrysler PT Cruiser - were given four stars.

By checking the comparative rollover risks consumers ``will be better able to choose a safe vehicle for themselves and their family Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater said in releasing the ratings. ``By providing consumers with additional information we can motivate manufacturers to respond with safer more stable vehicles.

The ratings are especially important to prospective buyers of SUVs. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which put together the rating program said over 60 percent of the SUV occupants killed in 1999 died in rollover crashes. By comparison 23 percent of car occupants killed died when their vehicles rolled over.

The ratings are based on what NHTSA calls ``static stability factor - a measure of a vehicles center of gravity and track width or distance between rear tires to determine how top-heavy the vehicle is. The more top-heavy the more likely a vehicle is to roll over.

Thus an SUV being top-heavy is more likely than a passenger car to get a lower rating. In these first ratings no SUV rated higher than three stars.

Sue Bailey the NHTSA administrator said the ratings emphasize the wisdom of using seat belts.

``Your best chance of surviving a rollover is by buckling up she said. ``Eighty percent of the people killed in single-vehicle rollovers were unbelted and we now that belted occupants are about 75 percent less likely to be killed in a rollover crash than unbelted occupants.

The rating system does not predict the likelihood of a crash. Rather it estimates the risk of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash usually when the vehicle runs off the road and is tripped by a curb ditch or soft soil.

A five-star rating means a vehicle has a rollover risk of less than 10 percent. With four stars the risk is between 10 percent and 20 percent; three stars 20 percent to 30 percent; two stars between 30 percent and 40 percent; and one star greater than 40 percent.

By April NHTSA expects to have ratings for more than 80 model-year 2001 vehicles.

-RedTampaSi